Quick Launch toolbar disappears

Win XP Pro with SP2 on IBM Laptop.
The quick launch toolbar disappears every time I reboot the computer.
I have already right clicked and chose properties and checked "locl taskbar ".
It does nothing, reboot and the quick launch toolbar is gone.

can it be fixed?

THANKS!
John

 

Have a look at this. Let us know if one of the two fixes mentioned there works for you.

 

I did this:
"Start>Run>Regedit>ok
now navigate to:-
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
In the right-pane, change the value of Userinit to "C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe, "
Type the above value exactly.Do not forget to add the comma at the end.
(without the quotes). Exit Registry Editor and restart Windows. "

after I rebooted it goes from loading you personal settings to logging off, saving your settings and back to logging on. It keeps going around and around.

I hit F8 to boot to safe mode but it does the same in safe mode.
I tried the other options, last known good configuration and all that and it still does the same thing.

looks like I went from a small annoying problem to not being able to boot windows.

 

Quick Launch Disappearing

I have not noticed the issue of the QL toolbar going away at reboots (I'll check next time), BUT I do find it happening almost EVERY time I close down Internet Explorer or close a network drive location. Very annoying!! I have not tried the things mentioned - yet - but if hellmaster's situation is normal for this fix, I'd rather not make that change. Any other thoughts, other than the bully aspect of reinstalling Windows?

 

Description -
System restore not working well for you. You'll have much better success running it from the command line.

Directions -
Running System Restore from the command line is often the only way to get a system back up and running. I'll describe it from the initial boot.

1. Restart your system
2. When the system first boots, type F8 to bring up the boot menu
3. Select the Safe Mode with Command Prompt option
4. Log-on as administrator if needed
5. At your command prompt type
%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe
6. Hit Enter
6. This will open the system restore wizard...

 

Hello HellMaster and Purple Haze.

Right click on an empty area around the clock. Is Lock the Tool Bar checked? if so, un check it, see if that solves the problem.

I assume that Tool Bars > Quick Launch is checked.

Regards - Charles

 

QL Toolbar

Charlesvar, I have tried all the combinations suggested. My registry keys are as others have suggested; I don't have any spyware/adware/viruses detected. Lock toolbar unchecked. QL toolbar checked. I'm bettin' the QL will disappear when I close this browser window!!

This started about 3 weeks ago. I first thought it might be a video problem, 'cause the screen would go to no icons when disconnecting from network folders, then they'd eventually reappear. Replaced video card and drivers. Replaced power supply (was noisy anyway!!). Replaced memory sticks.

As I mentioned earlier, this (QL gone) seems to happen only when closing out of browser or from a connected network drive.

As for System Restore - we have elected to disable that 'feature' to help ensure added virus protection by not restoring old bugs.

 

Not a good idea unless you have something that replaces it such as drive imaging.

Restoring "old bugs" as you put it, is a better alternative than having to re install the OS one day Besides which that's a controlable condition since restore points can be controlled by the user as well as the system.

So in this case, since the system will create an RP approx every 24 hr's, as soon as you noticed this, you would have had a chance to restore back 1 or 2 days.

Regards - Charles

 

QL Toolbar

Be that as it may - and I do understand the reasoning for system restore - this is a corporate decision.

FWIT, when I logged out of the BBS and closed the browser, the QL WAS still there But then I went to one of my network drives (storage) and into a couple of folders. When I left that, the screen went blank and the icons disappeared. They soon came back, but the QL was again disabled! and the Lock Toolbar is unchecked!!

I'm thinking that the old soft reinstall of Windows may yet have to be done.

How would reloading IE do anything to help?

 

Skeet,
if you look at my 2nd message above you will see that I can not get to the command prompt.
No matter which choice I take after hitting F8 the system still cycles through logging on and logging off repeatedly ..... over and over.

I made a boot disk from another xp machine and when I boot it says that the file <system root>\system32\hal.dll is corrupt and to replace it. How do I replace it on a maching that I can not get to the command prompt?

I can boot to a cd and get to the recovery console. but that does not give me any choices. and I dont want to have to reinstall every program and lose my docs and so on.

 

Hi hellmaster,

Unless skeet has another idea: XP repair install

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

You're going to have to backup your data, a good idea to do on a regular basis anyway.

EDIT: Of course its too late to do backups now. Do you backup user data on a regular basis?

For future reference, as a backup to SR, you can backup the registry yourself before making changes to the registry:

Start > run > type regedit > ok > file > export. You'll be asked to create an output file name in a folder.

Regards - Charles

 

I must agree with charlesvar on that one. It is not a good Idea to have SR disabled. I myself DO NOT wait for Windows to do it for me anyway. I check it out and/or make my own. ( and name them ) I learned to do this because I found SR on this machine to be sometimes as tempermental as its owner. Sometimes it does and sometimes it don't. ( more of the don't ) I NEVER start making any changes until I am 100% sure there is a restore point.

And when I get the changes made and I find all is going to be OK I shut down and restart SR. AND DOUBLE check to be sure one was made.

When working with Windows it is a MUST that you not only know what it is SUPPOSED to do but, how to check to make sure its HAS DONE IT.

I do this because over time I have found that MS Windows IS NOT trustworthy at times. Again, just like its' owner here, it has a mind of its own.

Also along the line somewhere backups were mentioned. If you have a program that runs from the C: drive then any backups should be also stored on another partition. I know there some feeling that a partitioned HD ( or more than one HD ) is not necessary. But if you ever have just one and it goes South and you lose everything and all your backups you may well change your mind.

I have three machines and on each one there if very little other than the OS on the C: drive.

Gotto go. Being called to dinner

BillyBob

 

is there a way to edit the registry without being abot to boot into windows xp?
i can boot to the windows cd and the recovery console.

I found a few other fixes on the 'net for my loading personal settings then logging off loop. but so far they did not work.

 

QL Taskbar

Thanks everyone for your input but enough about system restore. I understand the ramifications of using/not using it. And, ya, I may be past the point of no return with something and this darned disappearing QL toolbar, but I've tried everything suggested and it still does it (disappears) when leaving certain drives (and sometimes IE). THAT's my main concern, and nothing suggested yet has fixed that. Still seeking a viable workaround.

 

here is the fix to my original problem. actually the fix for the 2nd problem. maybe both.
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/peboot.htm

 

Hi Purple Haze,

Found a Taskbar repair tool at Kellys Korner:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm

Before you use this tool (I've never had to) I would srongly suggest you enable SR for this - it'll create an initial RP that you can fall back on, after you know the results one way or another, then you can disable it again

The only other idea is to disable QL > reboot > re enable again.

Regards - Charles

 

hellmaster
Did you get your problem fixed? I'm wondering what went wrong here. I've had a look at my registry one on another one and both have the same entry in that registry key as what you put in yours. Only thing I can think of is if your windows is installed on a drive other than c or if it was installed to a winnt folder instead of a windows folder. If either of these was the case that could mess up things if you didn't change the path accordingly. Otherwise, I'm at a loss. Sorry things turned out the way they did.

If you get it running and still have problems with the quick launch bar check out the second post in that thread. That one should cause no harm and is often the cause of this. Usually though, your desktop icons won't stay where you put them either after you reboot if the NoSaveSettings registry value is the problem. It worth a look though.

 

its fixed.
i ******* up. is was supposed to be c:\winnt and I had c:\windows.

 

Good! I glad you got it fixed. Sorry about that. I should have thought of it when I posted the link. It just never came to mind until after I saw you had problems. Well, all's well that ends well I guess.